The construction of this invention lies in the field of doors for use on vehicles and is directed to such door for utility vehicles such as Jeeps, Broncos, and other light trucks having an open body and a fabric top. It is more particularly directed to a door for such vehicles which replaces the original door and is pivotally mounted on the existing hinge mountings to provide a complete closure up to the vehicle top, and which fits the entire door frame opening in a secure and weather tight manner.
Many utility vehicles, such as Jeeps, are provided with open box type rear sections and doors. A so-called "hard top" may be purchased and mounted so that the vehicle becomes a closed car, and a rigid sedan-type door may be fitted. Many users prefer a "soft" or fabric top which may be lowered in good weather, and the doors which are furnished are usually minimum in weight, construction and quality.
Such doors are usually made with a light metal framework to provide a suitable shape and covered with fabric, and their mounting and operation leave much to be desired. In one typical arrangement applied to Jeeps, the existing hinge mountings, if any, are not used, and a hole is drilled in the upper part of the rearwardly slanted windshield frame and one vertically below it in the door sill. A vertical rod is inserted in these two holes and a minimum frame and fabric door is pivotally mounted on the rod.
Since the rod is aft of the rigid door frame and most of the height of the windshield, it is evident that the portion of the door forward of the rod must swing in the wrong direction. While such a door protects the occupant from wind gusts and the like it does not fit accurately at any point around its periphery and thus does not seal the interior against rain, snow, or wind leaks. It is generally unsatisfactory and does not provide a solution to the problem of weatherproofing a vehicle.